Somalia has threatened to suspend all flights by Ethiopian Airlines to the country in response to an ongoing sovereignty dispute.
The Somali Civil Aviation Authority announced this decision on Wednesday, escalating tensions over the status of the self-declared autonomous region of Somaliland.
In January, Ethiopia and Somaliland signed a memorandum of understanding allowing Ethiopia to lease a 20-kilometer stretch of coastline from Somaliland for 50 years.
This lease is intended to enable Ethiopia to establish a naval base and a commercial port. In return, Somaliland’s authorities claimed that Ethiopia would become the first country to officially recognize its sovereignty—something no other country has done since Somaliland unilaterally declared independence from Somalia in 1991. However, Ethiopia has not confirmed this claim from Somaliland.
Ethiopian Airlines, the largest carrier in Africa, operates flights to Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, as well as to Mogadishu, the Somali capital, and four other major Somali cities.
The Somali Civil Aviation Authority has reported that Ethiopian Airlines has not addressed previous complaints related to “sovereignty issues” and is currently “removing Somali destinations from its listings, retaining only airport codes.”
The authority’s statement warned that if the issue remains unresolved by August 23, Somalia will have no choice but to suspend all Ethiopian Airlines flights to the country from that date.
The statement further indicated that any future recurrence, such as continued misrepresentation of Somali destinations, will lead to immediate suspension without prior notice.
Currently, Ethiopian Airlines’ website lists Hargeisa without identifying the country it is located in, and a search for Somaliland on the site yields no results, while a search for Mogadishu correctly identifies it as being in Somalia.
The Somali Civil Aviation Authority has also received increasing complaints from Somali citizens regarding their experiences with Ethiopian Airlines.
A similar warning has been issued to Flydubai, a UAE government-owned airline. The Somali Civil Aviation Authority demanded that Flydubai address “serious violations” and ensure accurate representation of Somali destinations in its booking and ticketing services.
Flydubai had suspended its flights to Mogadishu in June due to security concerns. Failure to respond to the authority’s notice by August 24 will result in the “immediate cancellation of Flydubai’s operating license in Somalia.”
These measures follow indirect negotiations between Somalia and Ethiopia, mediated by Turkey. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan recently noted “significant progress” in these discussions.
Somaliland enjoys relative stability compared to other parts of the Horn of Africa, with its own institutions, currency, and passports.
However, it remains economically impoverished and isolated due to the lack of international recognition, despite its strategic location as a gateway to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
